Sophia's Return
by The Song Of The Cricket
Summary: What if Sophia didn't die? What if she never ended up in the barn? What if she managed to survive on her own, and become a skilled survivalist? What if she found her way back to the group? Carl/Sophia.
1. The Return

I know, it seems kind of far-fetched, but hey, it's fan fiction, am I right? I'm a huge Sophia fan, and I always was really upset about her death.

**Chapter 1**

With narrow eyes, she walked toward the sound of voices, a hand on the knife she had found long ago. They were both close, but neither seemed familiar.

"We got the formula for Judith."

"Thanks, Maggie."

"No problem, Beth."

"Hey, Maggie?"

She paused. That last one sounded familiar. She strained her memory, trying to remember.

"Yeah?"

"Glenn wants to see you."

Glenn? Could it be? She remained hidden, and decided to wait a little longer. Hiding behind the cover of a tree, she listened as more voices drifted towards her.

"Alright."

"You better hurry, though, sounded like he was real anxious to talk to ya."

"Of course. Thanks, Daryl."

"No problem."

Daryl? She'd heard Daryl and Glenn. It seemed unlikely that there would be another group with two guys named Glenn and Daryl. She stepped out from behind the tree cover, and walked toward the fence to the prison. She got about three yards before she noticed one of the figures pointing at her. "Hey, guys. Look." A young woman with blonde hair pulled into a pony-tail was looking at her, her finger raised. Next to her was a woman with short brown hair, and about four yards behind her was a man with a scruffy face looking at her, a crossbow slung over his shoulder and a head of dark brown hair. _Daryl. _She raised up her hands, the knife still clutched in one, and began to jog forward. "It's me!" she called, "It's Sophia!" As she got closer, she could see the look on his face turn from confusion to recognition. "Sophia!" he shouted, jogging towards the fence, and throwing it open. She ran faster as he walked out of the gate, "Daryl!" she cried, tears running down her face, as she launched herself into his arms. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her, stiffly patting her back. She pulled away. "Where's my mom?" she asked. "Follow me." He said, walking towards the gate. Sophia followed him, and when they got in, he closed the gate behind them. He began to walk towards the prison, and they were joined by the two women. "This is the girl that you guys were looking for, isn't it?" the blonde said, "Sophia." Daryl nodded. "Sophia, this is Maggie," he said, gesturing to the brunette before motioning to the other, "And this is Beth. You've missed a lot." Sophia nodded. "I would guess so," she said, "How are Carl, Rick, Lori, and the others?" Daryl stopped, prompting the other three to stop. Maggie swallowed hard, and Beth looked down at the ground. Sophia stared at the others. "What?" she asked, eyes wide. "You've really missed a lot." Daryl muttered.

A cold sinking feeling set in her stomach, and Sophia got the feeling that it wasn't a good thing.

* * *

So, I know that it's short, but I felt like it should be cut off there. I'll try to make the other ones longer. Thanks for reading!


	2. Reunited

**Chapter 2**

"Sophia." Daryl addressed me, crouching down and looking me in the eye. "Things have happened since you were gone."

"Like what?" I asked softly. "Lori had a baby," he whispered, "And we had to perform a C-section. Lori didn't make it." "What?" I cried, "Lori's dead? What about the baby? Is it okay?" Maggie laid a hand on my shoulder, and I tensed instinctively. "The baby's fine," she assured me, "Just fine." I shook my head, trying to clear it. That was a lot for me to take in. Lori had a baby, and now she was dead.

"Whatever," I choked out, "Just take me to my mom." Daryl nodded, and stood up, beginning to walk again. I followed, walking in-between the two women. I looked up at Maggie, trying to figure out how old she was. Maggie noticed me looking, a grinned warmly, and I returned the gesture. As we entered the prison, I winced at the loudness of my footsteps. Daryl led me down a metal staircase, then we walked over to a gate. "Carl," he yelled, "Open it up!"

I peered out from behind him, looking at the boy who approached, a set of keys dangling from his hand. "Sure thing," he said, putting a key into the lock. I studied him carefully. He seemed harder, stronger. His mom's death must've hit him pretty bad. "Hi Carl." I said as he opened the gate. He looked at me, gaping as he opened the gat. He was so surprised he didn't even notice the keys clatter to the ground. I smiled, almost shyly, and he grinned. "Sophia!" he cried, running over and wrapping his arms around me. I hugged him back, burying my face in his shoulder.

He pulled back, putting his hands on my shoulder, staring me in the face. "How did you survive?" he asked softly. I rested my hand lightly on my knife. "Found it in the woods," I said, "I'm glad you did," he said, before grabbing my hand, "C'mon! Everybody's gonna want to see you. He led my through the doorway and into the hallway.

"Carol!" he shouted, "Glenn, Dad! Everybody! Come on!" Glenn walked out of one of the cells. "What's going on?" he asked, looking around before his gaze rested on me. "Sophia," he whispered, "You're back." I saw my mom slowly walk out of her own cell, as Beth walked over to her, and took the small bundle from her arms. "Why are you yelling, Carl?" she asked. Carl stepped to the side, revealing me to my mom. "Sophia?" she asked, "Sophia!" I ran towards my mother and threw my arms around her. "Mama," I sobbed into her shirt. I could feel her arms squeezing me, and I relished in her warmth. "Are you okay?" she asked, "Are you hurt, hungry, tired?" "I'm fine, mom," I answered, "Just fine."

* * *

"Hi."

I rolled over in my bed to see Carl leaning against my cell door frame. "Hey," I said, swinging my legs around to sit on the bed, "What's up?" "Nothing, really," he answered, "Would you like to meet Judith." I gave him a quizzical glance, and he chuckled. "Judith's the baby," he told me, then grabbed my hand for the second time. "Come on." I blushed slightly as he led me down the hallway. "Hey, Beth," he said, pulling me into another cell, "How's Judith." The girl smiled at us, and stood up. She offered Carl the baby, and he took her.

"Hi Judith," he cooed, "This is Sophia. Say hi." The baby looked at me, and gurgled. "Wanna hold her?" he asked, smiling at me. "Sure," I said, a little nervously. Gently, he handed me the baby, and I accepted her. She looked up at me, and I rocked her back and forth. I looked up, and saw Beth and Carl both grinning at me. I smiled, and handed Judith back to Beth. I smiled at Carl.

"I'm going back to my room," I said, "To take a nap." Carl nodded. "Okay," Carl said. I started walking back down the cell block, and stopped. "Why're you following me?" I asked, turning around. He shook his head. "I'm going to do guard duty." I nodded, and began walking again, and turned into my cell. I climbed into my bed and laid down. "You know," he said, "I'm glad you're back." I smiled to myself.

"Me too."

* * *

Yes, I know it wasn't that much longer, but I'm getting there. Thanks again for reading, and also if you're favorite, follow, or like this story. It means a lot. Reviews are very helpful. It lets me know what I doing wrong and what I'm doing right, which really helps me improve as a writer.

Thanks a lot to Wolfwind97, the review was very helpful. It also gave me a pretty big smile.


	3. Catching Up and Learning to Shoot

**Chapter 3**

"So, I want you to fill me in on everything I missed," I said, sitting cross-legged on the ground, "Everything." Carl sat across from me, his blue eyes clouded. He sat there in silence for a while, looking down, until he focused his gaze on me.

"Well," he started, "We were living on the highway for a while, and then I… um… got shot."

I gasped. He lifted up his shirt, and pointed towards a small scar. "Who shot you?" I asked, my voice rising, "Why did they shoot you?" He rested a hand on my knee.

"Calm down," he said, "It was a hunting accident. My dad, Shane, and I were walking in the forest. I was walking up to a deer, and I was just staring at me. It was beautiful, almost like… magic. Then, a shot rang out, and the bullet went through the deer and straight into me. The man who shot me was really sorry, and sent us to a farm, where he said I could get help. There we met Maggie, Beth, Patricia, Jimmy, and Hershel and so…"

I listened, hanging on to every word. I listened as he recollected the walker barn, and the farm being overrun, about how the spent the winter on the run, about everything I missed. He finished, and I sat there for a while in stunned silence. After a while I finally spoke. "Wow." I said, "That was a lot." Carl nodded. "And I'm sorry," I said, "About your mom."

"It's okay," he muttered, looking down again "It's not your fault." The quiet went on for a while, until he looked back up. "Have you met everybody yet?" he asked, "I mean, everybody who joined our group after you got lost." I sat there, thinking for a moment.

"Yeah," I answered, "I think so. I've met Maggie, Beth, and Hershel. That's it, right?" He nodded. "I like them," I said, "They all seem really nice." We sat there for a moment, a comfortable silence growing between us. After a while, it began to get awkward, though. I brushed a stand of hair behind my ear, and sat there, looking down at my feet.

"Hey Carl."

I turned around to see two figures standing behind me. I smiled. It was Maggie and Glenn. "Maggie and I are going to go a supply run for some more baby formula," Glenn told him, "Tell your dad if you see him."

"Alright," Carl said. I watched them walk off, a cold sense of dread blooming it the pit off my stomach. I brushed it off, telling myself I was just paranoid. I turned back to Carl. "Come with me," he said, standing up. He offered me a hand, and I took it, pulling myself up. "Where are we going?" I asked as he led me outside.

"I'm going to teach you how to shoot a gun," he said. I smiled as we stepped into the sunlight, enjoying the warm sunlight soak into my skin. I continued to follow him as he walked down the gravel trail, towards a guard tower. When we reached the guard tower, he opened the door for me, and I stepped inside. We stomped up the spiral staircase. The top of the guard tower was a small room, with just two wooden chairs and a table in the corner. He picked up the pistol on the table and handed in to me. We walked out to the outside ledge, and he pulled out his gun from the holster that rested on his hip. He turned to me. "First," he instructed, "Make sure your safety is off, or else you can't shoot. Then, you want to point it at your target, aim, and shoot."

_Bam! _The gunshot rang out, and I could see it connect with a walker in the field. The walker fell to the ground, and the noises caused the others to stare in our direction. I flicked off the safety, picked a walker, and aimed. I pulled the trigger, and it hit a walker in the chest, causing it to fly backward and trip over the one Carl shot, falling over it. "That was a nice start," Carl complimented.

I sighed. "It would be," I said, "But that wasn't the one I was aiming for." Carl laughed. "At least you hit one," he chuckled, "Maybe we should start closer." I nodded. He smiled, and we walked back down the stairs, and back on to the gravel.

The walkers growled at us as we passed through the first gate, closing it behind us. We walked a little farther down the fence. "Try again," he encouraged. I took aim again, and shot. The bullet connected with a walker's head, and it slumped to the ground. I smiled. Carl grinned back, and we continued to shoot walkers for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

I know, it's a somewhat boring chapter. I wanted her to know how to shoot a gun, though, and I figured I'd do it in the story. I promise, I'll put in some drama soon.


	4. Rescue Plan

**Chapter 4**

"Have you seen Maggie or Glenn?" a voice behind me asked. I turned around to see Rick standing behind me, staring down at me impatiently, almost angrily. His arms were crossed, and his face was scrunched up.

I shook my head. "Not for a while," I said, "They went out to get formula about four hours ago."

"I know that!" he snapped, causing me to flinch, "I'm not stupid!" He turned around and stalked off, leaving me to stare after him. _What was that about?_ A hand on my shoulder caused me to jump. "He's just stressed," Beth said, before walking away.

Rick's words began to sink in. That was odd. They should be back by now. The knot of worry in my stomach resurfaced. I tried to shake it off again, but I couldn't. Trembling, I walked to my cell, and sat down, attempting to forget the fear that was beginning to take over. The effort was futile. I pulled my self back up, and began to walk down the hallway, looking for Carl.

* * *

I sat on the first step of the staircase, tapping my feet in worry. Our small group was gathered in the hallway, and Rick stared at us, looking from person to person. Once he was sure we were all here, he began to speak.

"Maggie and Glenn have been kidnapped." He stated. Gasps rose from around the room, joined with exclamations of fear and disbelief. "How can you be sure?" my mother asked, "Do we have proof?"

He nodded. "A woman was found by the fence," he said, "She was covered in blood and was carrying a shopping basket full of formula. She said it was dropped by a young Asian male and a pretty girl, and they were forced into a car. Given the evidence, it must be them."

Stunned silence settled over the room as we struggled to grasp what Rick had said. I felt a warm hand squeeze mine, and I looked over a Carl. He attempted to smile reassuringly, but I could see the worry hiding in his eyes.

"What are we going to do about it?" Daryl asked from across the room, twirling an arrow in his hand. He was leaning against the wall, looking at Rick, as if waiting for an order.

"The woman tells me she can lead us there," he answered, "So we will get them back. Daryl, T-Dog, and I will go with this woman to get them back."

The room was quiet once again, until a voice spoke up. "I want to go," Beth said. Rick shook his head. "Why not?" she cried, "Maggie's my sister!"

"I wanna go, too," Carl said. Fear gripped my body as I turned to him. He looked at me, and squeezed my hand again. Rick sighed.

"Beth, Carl," he addressed them, "We need you both here. Carl, you need to help guard the prison. Beth, you need to be here to care for the baby." Beth huffed and walked off, while Carl nodded, seeming to accept that.

Rick stood there for a moment longer, and walked away, causing everybody to slowly disperse. I let go of Carl's hand and walked back to my cell, lying down to get some sleep.

* * *

My eyes blinked open, and I yawned. Sitting up in my bed, I noticed how quiet the prison was. I realized that it was still night time. I got out of bed, too restless to lie back down. The cell block was quiet, but as I looked around, I noticed it wasn't empty. Carl was sitting on the stairs, looking exhausted.

"Hey." I said, walking over. At the sound of voice, his head jerked up, and he stared up at me, bewildered, until he finally registered who I was. "Hey," he muttered back. "Tired, huh?" I asked, and he nodded slowly.

"I can't sleep," he said, "I kept having nightmares." There were small bags beneath his eyes, and his head kept bobbing down, and snapping back up. "You should probably get some sleep," I commented, but he shook his head.

"I'll be fine," he told me. I rolled my eyes. "Do you wanna talk about them?" I asked, "I might make you feel better." He shook his head again. I sighed, and made my way back to my cell, and lied down on my bunk. I pulled the blanket over myself, and shivered. The cold nipped at my arms through the thin blanket, but I rolled over, falling into a state off being half-asleep. I felt a vague sense of warmth, and then I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Vague sense of warmth, hmm? Don't worry, I'm **so **not going there. I'd like to thank all the favorites and the follows, it really means a lot.


	5. Confession

I'd like to clear some things up. Yes, in my story, T-Dog is alive. He didn't get bitten, and he and Carol made it out, Daryl didn't have to find her.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_Huh, _I thought staring at the extra blanket on my bed, _Where did that come from? _Last night came back to me, and I smiled. _Carl. _I walked into the hallway, and looked around. The afternoon sun was shining through the window, illuminating the dark prison. Carl was leaning against the wall. He saw me, and grinned. I started walking over until I heard a scream.

My head snapped up, and Carl stiffened. "What was that?" I asked. "Come on!" Carl shouted, running off towards the sound. I chased after him, picking up the pistol I had used yesterday.

We made our way through the maze off hallways and lead-offs, the sounds of screams and fights progressively becoming louder and louder, until we turned a corner, and Carl threw open a door, revealing a small group of people fending off a bunch of walkers.

Without hesitation, Carl began shooting down walkers, picking them off quickly. I aimed my gun and fired, hitting a walker in the chest. Cursing, I took aim and shot again, hitting the walker in the head. The man who had fighting it looked at me, shocked. Carl and I stared at each other, before turning back to the group of five. "Let's go!" Carl shouted, "Before any others show up!"

Carl darted back into the tangle of halls, and I quickly followed. Four of them ran after us, the fifth slung over the largest man's shoulder. We reached the cell block, and he shut the door to the main hallway, and stood in front of it, arms folded.

"Thank you," the man said, putting the girl on the floor, "My name is Tyreese." Carl continued to stand there, not moving. He looked down at the woman on the floor, and stared back into the man's eyes.

"She's been bitten," he accused, narrowing his eyes. Tyreese nodded. Carl walked over to the body lying on the floor, and I moved to where he had stood. He stood over the woman, and drew his gun.

"We take care of our own people," Tyreese said. Carl stepped back, and Tyreese picked up his shovel. Carl and I walked back into out cell block and Carl locked the door behind him.

"Hey!"

We turned around to see one of the men grabbing the bars. "What the hell?" he shouted, "You locked us in here!"

"You'll be safe there," Carl responded, nodding, "How do we know we can trust you?"

The man opened his mouth to speak again, but the woman touched his arms. "Calm down, Allen," she said, touching his arm, "Just be grateful." The man scowled, and stalked off.

Carl walked off, and I darted after him. "Now what?" I asked, "What do we do with them?" He was quiet for a moment, and then he spoke.

"Well," he said, "We wait until my dad gets back, and he'll figure it out." I nodded, and there was a long silence. "Are you okay?" I asked, "You seem upset."

He stopped, and stared down at the ground, before looking at me. His eyes were watery and pained. "I ended it, you know," he whispered it, backing against the wall. "I was the one who ended it."

"Ended what?" I asked, "What did you end?" A tear rolled down his cheek as he slumped to the ground.

"I shot my mom," he choked out, sobs racking his body. I crouched down next to him on the wall, and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, laying my head on his shoulder.

"You had to," I assured him, "She would've turned if you didn't." He nodded. A comforting silence fell between us, saying the words we both needed to hear for us.

* * *

We were standing at the gate when the sound of a motorcycle engine reached our ears. Shortly after, a small parade of vehicles drove up. "It's them!" I called, running to the first gate. As Daryl drove up, I opened the gate, letting them in. A few walkers began to come over, and I fired my pistol, getting a head shot. Carl opened the second gate, and as the last one entered, I shut the gate. They drove up the road, and I darted after them, not even bothering to wait for Carl.

They pulled over, and everybody began to get out of the cars. I watched as Maggie and Glenn got out of the car and smiled. Carl walked up beside me, but his grin was rough and thin. "T-Dog's not here," he whispered. My smile fell.

Rick marched towards the prison, alone. Carl dashed after him, and started talking to him. I looked over the group, and it was then that I noticed Glenn had bruises on his face and a black eye.

"What happened to your eye?" I asked. He grunted, and walked up the path. Maggie hurried behind him, leaving me to stand puzzled. I sighed, and scurried up to the prison, wanting to escape the awkward tension that seemed to fill the open air between everybody.

I had a feeling the following days were going to be very long.

* * *

Alright, my next chapters may be coming a little slower these upcoming days.

I'd like to thank everybody that has been reviewing. I swear, it makes my day every time.


	6. Family

**Chapter 6**

"Alright, man, we'll go, okay?" Tyreese said, backing up towards the stairs. I gripped Carl's hand, scared.

"Get out!" Rick screamed, "Leave me alone! What do you want form me? Get out of my life! Stay away!" Tyreese ran up the stairs, closely followed by the rest of his group, while Rick continued to shout nonsense at the sky. "What's he doing?" I whispered to Carl.

"I don't know," he said softly, "I've never seen him do this before."

Rick marched off towards his cell, leaving us all staring after him. An uncomfortable silence fell between the remainder of the group, and we all glanced at each other. "I'll go talk to him." Carl announced. He turned and walked after his father.

"I'm going to bed," I mumbled, heading back towards my cell. I crawled into my bed, and pulled the blanket over my body. Closing my eyes, I attempted to doze off, but sleep seemed to evade me. When it did come, it was long and dreamless.

When I got up the next morning, and hauled myself out of bed, I looked out my cell door to see Maggie talking with Glenn. They seemed to be having a heated discussion, and after a few more moments, Glenn reached out with his free hand, but Maggie pushed him away before storming off. I peered out the door.

"Is everything alright?" I asked him, poking my head out the door. Glenn sighed, dropping the baseball cap he was holding, and ran a hand through his hair.

"Fine," he muttered, walking off, "Just fine."

I watched as he left, confused. What happened while they were kidnapped? I shook my head, shooing the thought out of my mind. That wasn't my business.

After a few moments of standing there, I looked around, realizing how bright it was. It must be late afternoon. _How long did I sleep?_

I stepped into the quiet hallway, and found it to be completely empty. That was, of course, until Beth walked out of her cell, and smiled when she saw me.

"Hi Sophia," she said, pleasantly, "Did you sleep well?" I laughed.

"Better than I have in ages," I responded. It took me a moment to realize her arms were empty. "Where's Judith?" I asked.

"I gave her to Maggie," she answered, "I'm going to go make some food for my dad." She smiled once more, and set off, the sound of her footsteps slowly retreating. I stood still for a moment, before continuing down the hall, and breaking off to enter Maggie's cell.

"Hiya."

She looked up, still cradling the baby in her arms. "Oh," she said, somewhat surprised, "Hey Sophia. Everything alright?"

"I'm fine," I replied, "But the question is, are you?" She sat there, a confused look on her face as she stared at me, before looking down to avoid my gaze when she realized what I was talking about.

"You saw that, huh?" she muttered, almost shamefully.

"Yeah," I said, "Are you gonna tell me what that all was about?" There was silence for a moment, as I waited, while her eyes were still focused downwards.

"Well?" I prompted when the quiet continued.

She stared back up at me. "Why do you care?" she asked quietly. It was a simple question, not meant to spiteful, filled with nothing but curiosity.

I paused, caught off-guard by the question. Why did I care? The answer was simple. I cared about them, but how do you put that feeling into words, to explain why I care? I thought for a moment before speaking.

"The only thing that we all have left is each other," I said, "Which makes us all a family, and families cares about each other. That means you're a part of my family, which means it's my job to make sure you are okay, which you aren't, so it's also my job to fix it. What's going on between you and Glenn?"

Judith yawned, and Maggie set her in the little basket that had become her crib. Too tired to protest, she closed her eyes and began to doze off. Maggie sighed, and turned her attention back to me.

"Glenn was upset because he thought The Governor raped me." she stated. My eyes widened. "Did he?" I asked, afraid of what the answer would be.

"No," she responded, "He faked it. He told me to take off my shirt and my bra, or else he would cut Glenn's hand off. Then he pushed my face into the table, and brought me into Glenn's room. I kept telling Glenn he didn't, but he didn't listen, not until today."

After a long period of silence, I spoke again. "Then what's wrong?" I questioned, still failing to see the problem.

"After we came back," she contuined, "Glenn began to act like this awful person, and it began to get on my last nerve. So then we were arguing, and he finally began to believe me. So I asked him if he felt better know that he knew the truth."

I got the feeling there was still a lot more to the story than she was telling me, but I let it go. I was just glad she was willing to tell me something.

"Glenn's probably just trying to deal with his feeling the best way he knows how." I said, attempting to provide some sort of reassurance, "I'm sure it will blow over soon."

She nodded, and I took it as my cue to leave. As I walked back down the hallway, I could hear two hushed voices talking rapidly. I could hear faint snippets of conversation.

"…_The Governor…"_

"…_Attack…"_

I hurried by, not wishing to get involved. I didn't want to be involved in any sort of combat.

Whoever this Governor was, he wasn't going to be leaving us alone any time soon.


	7. Governor's Attack

I know, in the show, Daryl didn't come back after they rescued him until the big fight. In my story, however, he was never kidnapped and Merle didn't know he was there. So Daryl never left and Merle is still in Woodbury

**Chapter 7**

_Bang!_

A bullet whistled past me, just barely missing me as I dropped to the ground. Bullets sprayed across the prison yard as I crouched down and ran for cover. I ducked behind a wall, and breathed heavily, listening to the sound of gunfire surrounding me.

"Beth!"

My head turned to the sound of the voice to see Maggie running past me, carrying rifles. As she dashed past, I felt a short sense of relief, which was quickly replaced with dread.

Who was with Judith?

I darted from my hiding place, running towards the door from which Maggie had come. The door made a soft creaking sound as I opened it, and stepped into the prison. I closed it behind me, and headed towards the cell hallway.

The hall was eerily quiet as I scanned the cells. My head jerked towards the second floor of cell, where the sound of a baby crying began to echo through the building. I stomped up the steps and raced for Maggie's room.

The small white crate that served as a makeshift crib sat on the floor near the bed. Inside was Judith, her eyes squeezed shut as she waved her small fists, screaming loudly. I scurried over, and lifted her from the box, rocking her in my arms.

"It's okay," I soothed as I rocked her in my arms, "It's okay, Judith, everything's going to be fine. You're perfectly safe here." Her loud wails began to die down, and I sat on the floor, cradling her.

The gunfire outside died down, and I began to get nervous. Who was coming back? More appropriately, who wasn't? I heard the sound of the door open, and I hurried downstairs.

The first person to see me was Carl. As soon as he saw me, I could see his expression go from worried to relieved. "You're alive!" he exclaimed, hurrying over, closely followed by my mother, "We were afraid you were dead when we couldn't find you. I-I knew you were out there, because I saw you before they started shooting, but then, you disappeared and I couldn't find you, and I-"

"I'm fine," I said, cutting him off, "I came in to make sure Judith was okay. Is everybody here? Did anybody… die?"

"No," he answered, "We had a lot of close calls though."

My mom smiled at me, and wandered off, along with the rest of the group, leaving me alone with Carl and Judith. The hallway was silent for a moment, until Carl finally broke the silence.

"I'm glad you're okay," he said, "I didn't know what we would have done if we had lost you for real this time."

I smiled, and when he grinned back, I got the feeling he didn't really mean the group when he said that. He had meant himself.

* * *

I know, it's short, but I feel there was some decent drama there. And a little more of a budding romance, so I left it at that.

Thanks for reading!


	8. A Midnight Conversation

**Chapter 8**

_Splish!_

I looked back as I ran. Eliza's doll was lying in the crook of a long branch, its feet dangling in the water. A tear rolled down my cheek. The walker that was chasing me didn't stop, preventing me from going back to retrieve the precious item.

Now I was officially alone.

My feet splashed through the water, sending droplets flying behind me and I tripped, falling to the ground, screaming. The walker came towards me, and I kicked out with my foot, hitting it in the knee. It fell backwards, and I scrambled to my feet, and continued to run.

After what seemed like forever, I stopped, gasping for breath. My stomach growled, and I realized how hungry I was. The forest around me was quiet, and I had no idea where to go. The sun was beginning to go down, which meant there would be more walkers soon. I took off running again, racing the sun, hoping to find something.

Eventually, the trees began to turn into city as I reached a city. There were small houses but I ran forward, ignoring them. I followed the small road until it connected with a larger one, and then turned on to that one. The sun got lower and lower, and just as darkness began to set in, I reached a small shopping center, complete with a grocery store and everything.

I cautiously made my way down the gray sidewalk, towards the looming grocery store that acted as the focal point of the plaza. When I reached the large building, I peered into the dark windows and saw nothing but darkness. As I was about to walk through the glass door, a soft voice drifted my way.

* * *

"Wake up."

"No," I mumbled. In response, the owner of the voice nudged me again. "Wake up," it whispered, "C'mon, Sophia, wake up!"

I groaned, and rolled farther away. "Go away," I muttered, "I'm trying to sleep." I was rewarded with another nudge.

"Get up."

I moaned. Obviously, they were not going to leave me alone. "What do you want?" I asked, grumbling. I rolled back over to see Carl standing over me, dressed in only a shirt and a pair of boxers. My eyes blinked to adjust to darkness and I realized that it was still night-time. Just great.

"Get up;" he whispered, "I have something to tell you." Sighing, I sat up in the cot, listening as the mattress creaking under me. "Can't it wait until tomorrow?" I whined, rubbing my eyes, attempting to at least keep them open.

"No," he said, "It's important, and I have to tell you _now._" I rolled my eyes and pulled myself out of bed, following him out into the hallway, wondering what could be so goddamn important to wake me up in the middle of the night.

He turned around to face me, leaning back against the wall. I stopped, and folded my arms over my chest. "What's so important?" I demanded. He looked down, biting his lower lip, before focusing his clouded blue eyes back on me.

"I was afraid to tell you," he said, "But now I'm afraid if I don't tell you now, I'll never have a chance to."

I stared at him, cocking my head, still not moving. The silence dragged on as I waited for him to speak.

"Sophia," he whispered, "I-I love you."

* * *

This chapter took a while to write. I kept getting writer's block, which was definitely _not _fun, let me tell you. My writer's block was semi-productive, though, because when I would get stumped, I'd clear my mind by making little clay figurines of The Walking Dead characters. They're pretty cute.

Interesting question, Wolfwind. I guess I was just tired of using the same plain username, so I decided to make one a little more mystical, per say. I've had many nicknames like Chirp and Cricket, and I wanted this username to still reflect a little piece of me. So I guess that's how I came up with it.

Anyway, thank you to everybody who reads this, I really do appreciate it.


	9. Unexpected Vistor

**Chapter 9**

I stared at him, gaping. _Did he just say he loved me?_

"I didn't realize it," he explained, "Until two days ago, but I was scared to tell you. But then, when I thought you had died during the attack, I thought you were dead, and I'd never be able to tell you. It made me realize it could happen anytime, and anytime I see you could be my last, and…"

He trailed off, not finishing the sentence, while I stood there, stunned. _How was I supposed to respond to that?_

After a while, he ran a hand through his messy brown hair, and walked back to his cell, leaving me to stare after him. I wanted to follow him, but what was I going to say? Sighing, I trudged back to my cell, but when I crawled into bed, I knew I wasn't going back to sleep for quite a while.

* * *

When I woke up in the morning, it was late morning, and the prison was quiet. I climbed out of my cot, and yawned. I peeked into the hallway to see Beth sitting on the stairs, cradling Judith in her arms.

"Good morning, Beth," I greeted, walking over. She looked up at me, and smiled. Judith gurgled, and waved her feet at me.

"Hi Sophia," she said warmly, "Sleeping late again?" I laughed. "Apparently so." I remarked, "So where is everybody?"

"Andrea showed up a few moments ago," she informed me, "Everybody went outside to see her." I gaped.

"Andrea's here?" I asked, bewildered. She nodded, and before either of us could say anything, the sound of a heavy door swinging open. I spun around to see Andrea walking down the steps and embracing my mother. I raced over as she turned around, and her gaze met mine.

"Sophia?" she asked. I smiled, and ran over to hug her. When she pulled back, she looked at me, examining my face. "You're alive," she whispered.

"Yeah," I said. The rest of the group filed into the room. Smiling once more at Andrea, I slipped out of the room, leaving everybody else a chance to talk to her. I could feel Carl staring after me as I left, his burning gaze following me even after I was out of sight.

* * *

The sound of singing drifted into my cell. I made my way into the hallway, where Beth was singing. My gaze swept across the room, and I noticed Carl sitting by the wall, staring off into the distance. I walked over and plopped down next to him.

"Hey," I said softly.

"Hey," he muttered back, still looking off into the distance.

A long awkward silence fell between us as we sat there. Without saying a word, I grabbed his hand and laid my head on his shoulder.

"I love you, too," I said quietly.

* * *

And thus, young love blooms in the zombie apocalypse. So adorable!

Anyway, enough of my sappiness. Unfortunately, I have not, Sydney, but I'm planning on it. I'm a huge Carrie fan. I read the book, saw the original movie, and the movie sequel, so I'm definitely going to see it at some point. And as for your suggestion, that would be a huge plot twist, but I'm just keeping the characters as normal humans.

**BIG NOTE:** Hey guys, it's been a little while, but my computer got a bug, so I've been restricted to my stepfathers. Unfortunately, chapter 10 is still on my computer, and I have yet to pull it off, so we're on a temporary hiatus. :'(


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